The Path of Destruction
by Shukuchi-kun
Summary: This story involves a bunch of OCs (Original Characters) and only a few characters from RK. Kenshin makes a guest appearance in ch.1. 1-4 up! No word on 5 yet. R&R, it's appreciated; don't hassle me about stuff in the book. Violent. Rating pending (maybe
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1: A New Battousai.  
  
Days go well, and days go wrong. It was all the same for the Battousai. He killed people and went on about his life, not caring for others. Noticing that he, one day, had become a world-famous Man-Slayer, with money on his head, brought great joy to him.  
  
"Finally," said Battousai to himself one day of seeing a wanted poster of himself. "maybe I'll get some more challenge this way." he spoke to himself again.  
  
It was a quiet morning in the village of Tokyo, and everyone was sleeping. Battousai had perched on top of a rather high rafter of a burnt down dojo. He watched and waited for the streets to become full of people once again, having been there all night.  
  
He sighed to himself, believing that he would face no challenges in his life. The same people who were now just waking from their beds were to only ones to actually face him.  
  
The hustle of the streets brought Battousai back to the earth. The people walked about their own business carelessly, "Almost too boring to watch." Battousai thought to himself, looking from person to person from his lofty position. "It seems as though their boring lives will get an abrupt awakening, from Shou-ryu Battousai, the Man-Slayer."  
  
Just then, he saw someone, fifty feet away, looking up at him. Knowing that he could not be located by anyone, he jumped down quickly, speeding out of sight. He ran behind an old dojo, one still in good condition, but with no occupants. He ran inside and waited, hoping that the follower would come into the dojo with some skill.  
  
He held his breath, hearing slow footfalls from outside. They faltered for a moment, then began up the steps leading up to the door. Battousai held his breath for longer, and waited patiently some more. "Only a bit farther..." he said as he waited. "Then I will see if you are good enough to challenge the Battousai." Thought Battousai.  
  
The footfalls entered the dojo, a man coughing a little as he entered the dusty dojo. The man had black, graying hair, a small beard, and wore a kimono with strange markings on the back.  
  
"I know you're in here, Battousai..." Called the man in a quiet yet strong voice. "Show yourself to me."  
  
Battousai, seeing an early morning excercise to this, called out from his position, careful to conceal his location. "Who are you, and why have you followed me here?" Battousai called. "Are you looking for a fight?"  
  
The man scoffed at his words. "Are you really hiding from me? Yes, I have come here for a fight." said he.  
  
Battousai stepped out, revealing himself to be a tall, skinny man in his mid twenties, with long black hair that fell casually over his face and onto his shoulders, and bloodred eyes. He was wearing a long black cloak that concealed what he was wearing, but two swords were strapped to his back, and at his waist, two more sword hilts protruded from the cloth.  
  
"Well then, I might as well tell you who I am, then. I am Shou-ryu Battousai, the Man-Slayer. I am a master at many a fighting technique. And who are you?" he asked the man, who was sneering.  
  
"My name is Yuigi Miramoto, I have come from the village of Osaka, and I am the only Battousai," he responded, "and I have taken this opportunity to not only kill you, but get money as well." he drew a steel tanto blade that was disguised as a walking stick. "Fight me now, and I shall kill you quicker." he said. "Now, DRAW YOUR WEAPON!!" he commanded, and without any warning, he charged at Battousai.  
  
Battousai laughed at such a foolish attempt of attack. He easily side-stepped the attack and elbowed the man in the back of the head. He would toy with him a little before killing him.  
  
"Over here!" Battousai said calmly as he dodged and parried the attack.  
  
The man fell off-balance and was struck hard, making him fall even more off-balance. "Is that the best you've got, Battousai?" He said, guffawing a little and wiping a small amount of blood off his upper lip.  
  
"No, and I say that you shouldn't wish to see the best I've got, as if I were trying, you would've been dead on the floor before you knew I had moved." said Battousai, clearly enjoying the experience of fighting such a foolish man. "Now, would you like to attack again, or would you like to walk away shamed?" he inquired.  
  
The man lifted his sword again and charged. Battousai easily evaded the attack, this time side-stepping and grabbing the blade with his right hand, flipping it over the man's head and taking hold of it by the blade with his left hand. He bashed Yuigi over the head with the hilt of it, then threw the tanto over his shoulder.  
  
"Now do you see that I am more than just a man?" Battousai inquired again,wiping his own blood off of his palm.  
  
The man looked startled at how quickly Battousai moved, and regarded his options. He stared into Battousai's red eyes for a second before drawing a second steel tanto. "Die, Battousai!!" Yuigi screamed as he hurtled himself toward Battousai once more.  
  
Battousai, shaking his head, side-stepped quickly to the left, and said, "I shall end this now." very calmly.  
  
He grabbed the man by the back of his head with his left hand, and tightened his grip. He smashed the man into the floor and lifted him up again, threw him into the air, caught him with his right hand and threw him into the wall.  
  
Batousai picked up the man's tanto and held it to his throat. In one quick fluid movement, Battousai swiped the blade along Yuigi's throat, nicking the air passage.  
  
"I shall let you suffer for a minute before ending your life. You shall see that I am the only Man-Slayer worthy of the title Battousai. Now you will die." and with those words, Battousai ended the man's life in a single flash of steel.  
  
He walked from the dojo, dropping the bloody tanto in the doorway, his red eyes cold and pitiless. He left the village in complete silence, not speaking to himself or anyone. He moved north of town, and headed toward a remote valley where he sometimes slept the nights. He sat down at a small pond, watching the koi in the water float leisurely across the rippling pond.  
  
He sat there in deep thought, wondering whether he would ever face a worthy opponent. He stayed in this train of thought until a noise startled him and he looked up.  
  
He was looking at another man, at least seven feet tall, with narrowed steely blue eyes. He brushed a small twig out of his short brown hair and looked at Battousai, an evil grin on his face.  
  
The man ran a thick hand over a stubbly, rugged beard and still kept his eyes on Battousai.  
  
"I saw you murder that man, in Tokyo." said the man in a gruff voice. "I know who you are." he said again, his malicious grin growing.  
  
Battousai stood up, more than a foot shorter than the huge man. "And if I did..." Battousai replied clamly to the man. "What would you do about it?" he inquired.  
  
The hulking man looked down at him and growled, "That was my target, Boy. I am the only real Battousai." said he, looking into Battousai's fearless red eyes. "And you now must pay." he growled again.  
  
In one swift movement, Battousai lifted the man off his feet and threw him into the pond, causing the koi to scatter. "I can and will kill you, old man. I am Shou-Ryu Battousai the Man-Slayer, and I have killed many, many more than you. Your life means nothing to me, and I will prove it if you'd like." said Battousai, his eyes narrowed and still looking at the man. "I am becoming much too sick of weaklings such as yourself coming across my path, trying foolishly to defeat me." he said again in a calm voice.  
  
"Now if you'd like to leave me be, I will let you go free. If not, I will kill you before you can even draw that sword." claimed Battousai, seeing that the man had climbed ashore and was preparing to draw a sword at his waist.  
  
The man, taking heed to Battousai's warning, removed his hand from the sword and walked away slowly. He did not turn until Battousai had looked away and resumed looking across the pond. The man smirked to himself as he knew that Battousai was not looking, and drew his blade. He ran toward Battousai silently, preparing to kill him.  
  
Battousai knew of the attack launched on him, so he was prepared for an initial attack. He leapt into the air gracefully, backflipping the man and evading his blade by several yards. He landed about five yards from the man, looking at him with his hardened eyes.  
  
"Did I not just warn you of fighting me? Now you shall face the consequences." said Battousai quietly. "I told you to leave me be, and yet you still attack me. Why? I'll tell you why." he said, looking into the man's startled eyes.  
  
"Because you are foolish and high-minded." claimed Battousai before drawing a single sword from his shoulder. With this statement, he flew past the man at half the speed of sound.  
  
He landed several feet away, and laughed to himself, seemingly having not touched the man. Battousai turned to face the man, looking into his eyes. "How was that?" he inquired after the man turned and faced him.  
  
"Pretty good show, Battousai, but you missed me." the man said, guffawing stupidly.  
  
"Oh, did I?" said Battousai before laughing. "You might want to look again." he said.  
  
The man looked down, and at once, his shirt ripped and his chest was cut open. The man looked down unbelievingly at the blood pouring silently down his chest from a diagonal wound, right to left, and upwards, and down his stomach. He stood there staring at the blood until it finally hit him that he was dead.  
  
Battousai snapped his fingers, and the man fell lifeless to the ground.  
  
"Hmmph," said Battousai as he cleaned his blade with a now bloody cloth. "People these days have no respect whatsoever." he said to himself, finishing his cleaning and resheathing his sword. "That's the first time I've actually used my sword to kill someone in a long time, it felt good to get that reused." he said as he lay back on the grass, trying to fall asleep.  
  
Battousai stood and walked away, wandering to a dojo eventually. He examined the perimeter, surveying every inch of it. "This seems to be a good place to stay the night." he said as he walked up the steps to the front door.  
  
He opened the sliding door and walked into the room, it was seemingly deserted. He sat down on a bed next to the door and lay there, thinking for once of what would come in the next day.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Battousai woke the next morning to see a bright sun just outside the window above him, a few rays coming in through the opening. He sat up and rubbed his head, brushing a few long black strands of hair out of his eyes. He looked around cautiously, as if expecting to see someone in the room or hallway. Yet, the dojo was deserted, and Battousai was alone.  
  
"A fine day indeed it is." grumbled Battousai, putting a hand on his stomach, which gave a loud gurgle. "But it seems that even the Battousai needs food sometimes, and I have not eaten since last night." he said to himself.  
  
"Well then, Battousai, you might want to eat something." said a growling voice behind him.  
  
Battousai, startled, turned to see yet another man standing next to where he had slept, looking down upon him with a cold, sinister smile. The man wore a bright red robe, a small sword strapped to his waist.  
  
"How'd you like me to insert some food into your stomach after I cut it in half?" he said, still looking at Battousai.  
  
Battousai merely laughed, his eyes closed and looking toward the floor. "It seems you don't know who I am, now do you? I am Shou-Ryu Battousai the Man-Slayer, and you have angered me. I do not wish to kill weaklings such as yourselves, however it seems that I must always fight." said he, without opening his eyes or looking up.  
  
"Did you just insult me, Battousai?" the man asked, his eyes angered.  
  
"Yes, I did, as a matter of fact." said Battousai, now looking up into the man's blue eyes and standing to face him, only a few inches shorter than him. "And would you like to strike first, or shall I?" Battousai inquired the man, still looking at the man, his eyes cold and hardened.  
  
The man laughed in Battousai's face, still unaware that Battousai had already killed him. The second before Battousai asked whether the man wanted to attack first, he ran over to him, grabbed the man's blade, and stabbed it through the man's stomach. The man continued to laugh until he saw that his blade had blood on it, and his stomach was now pouring out blood. "What...did you do to m-me?" he shouted angerly, yet fearfully.  
  
"I warned you," Battousai said, "to leave me be, and you did not. Now you are dead." and with that, Battousai left the dojo, leaving the man to bleed to death in the room.  
  
He walked back toward Tokyo, thinking about the men who faced him these past few days, and thinking about his future. He sat down on some old stone steps on the outskirts of the village, looking at the ground. He sat there for over an hour before looking up, looking into the streets of Tokyo. There were a few people, walking on their way home, and talking with one another occasionally. Battousai stared at his hands, slightly bloody from the last encounter.  
  
"Is this the way I'm going to live the rest of my life?" he asked himself in his thoughts, "Killing weaklings, none worthy of challenging me in the first place?" he thought again.  
  
Sitting for many more hours, Battousai looked up at the dying sun, wishing that he could have company. He sat there until the sun had fully vanished over the horizon, standing once it was gone, and went out toward Tokyo.  
  
He stealthily slipped through the streets, not making a sound, and arrived at a small food stand. He looked both ways beside him to see whether anyone was around, and grabbed a bunch of rice balls. He took off into the night, running to the backside of a dojo and wolfing down the rice.  
  
He looked in the window of the dojo to see whether anyone was inside, and jumped inside, going through an open window. He looked around once again into the dark dojo, and seeing no one, he lay down near the door to rest again.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
The next morning, Battousai woke very early to a very loud scream. He shot awake and looked around, startled at the noise so early. It seemed as if the dojo was not as empty as he had hoped it was. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying not to yawn. He opened his eyes and saw a young girl, not very young, maybe 19 or so, standing there, looking at Battousai, fear coming over her large green eyes.  
  
"W-who are you, and what are you doing at my dojo?" she asked fearfully, but still standing straight and looking Battousai in the eyes.  
  
Battousai gave a small chuckle, but seeing how it was so early in the morning, he felt that it was too early to kill someone. "Miss, if you truly knew who I am, you would be fleeing in terror, away from this place. My name strikes fear into the hearts of the weak, and foolishness into the hearts of the strong." he gave her a strange, misty smile. "but not the strong enough, however." he said, still wearing the smile.  
  
The girl looked him in the face. "Oh, yeah? Then who are you, Mr. Fear-Driver?" she asked angerly.  
  
Battousai laughed. "I am Hiroshi Shou-ryo Battousai, the Man-Slayer. I have come from far Kyoto to this humble dojo. I stayed here the night, just so that I could be rested for more killings in the morning." he said as he hardened his red eyes, making him look more dangerous than he already looked.  
  
The girl quivered at bit at hearing his name. "Battousai? Man- Slayer? The Battousai?" she asked.  
  
Battousai gave a slight shrug and a cold laugh. "Well, saying that I am could give me too much credit. But...I can't deny that." he said, keeping his eyes hardened.  
  
The girl trembled and backed away. "You may leave now." she said meekly, her eyes flicking downward to where his sword hilts protruded from his cloak and at the tops of his shoulders.  
  
Battousai gave another harsh laugh. "I am leaving. I shall leave this place in peace if you wish me to." he said as he turned to walk away.  
  
Then, a loud noise of shattering glass and splintering wood made Battousai stop and turn. He looked to see at least a dozen men where the girl had been standing, who was at the men's feet. Seven of the men had swords drawn and ready, and the other five had them ready at their sides. One of the men picked up the girl and tossed her off to the side casually, aiming her at the wall.  
  
It happened in a split second. Battousai exploited his speed advantages and burst out toward where the girl was headed at full speed. He caught her in the air and set her down on the ground. He then turned to the men, a fire erupting in his red eyes. "Who are you men?" Battousai asked calmly to the men, who were all grinning maliciously at him.  
  
One of them spoke up. "So..the Battousai has a soft side, eh?" he asked, still looking at him.  
  
Battousai scoffed while looking at the ground diagonally. He hardened his eyes as he looked them in the face. "I have no feelings for this woman other than pity. I take pity on her for she had to bear the wrath of you people." he said, a slight smile growing on his face. "But, I do say that if you all wish to be dead on the ground before you can speak, please, feel free to attack." he said, his smile growing larger.  
  
The men all looked at him, then the tallest, who had a sword out, laughed. He continued to laugh until Battousai shot foward, toward the man, and hit him hard with his right hand, in the man's stomach. Battousai kept his hand at the man's stomach until the man screamed in pain, only a quick shreik, and dropped to the ground, hunched over in agony. Battousai flashed his eyes dangerously and looked at the remaining eleven, a smile curling over his lips.  
  
"Anyone else care to fight?" he asked, still looking into the crowd.  
  
One of the men cracked his knuckles and drew a long sword. He looked at three other men, one of which had a chain with a six-inch spike on the end of it, and signaled for them to step foward. The four men all lunged at Battousai at the same time, only to think that this would be difficult for Battousai.  
  
But Battousai laughed at yet another foolish attack, and easily sidestepped one of the chargers, breaking his spine with a single blow to the back of the neck with his hand, flattened in a chop position.  
  
The other two attackers with swords sent the blade straight foward, aimed at Battousai's neck, in a diagonal form so that he could not escape. Battousai worked out a counter measure seconds before the men started charging. Battousai backed up, grabbing the man on the left's face with his left hand, and pulled him toward the other man's sword. As soon as Battousai had heard the blade slice through human skin, he jumped into the air and flipped over the other man's head, landing behind him. Battousai grabbed the man's neck and ploughed him into the ground, hard, with his right hand.. He both felt and heard the man's arm splintering as it was rammed into the ground. He laughed as he picked the man back up.  
  
The fourth man, the one with the chain, sent the bladed length at Battousai's neck, curling and twisting in a deadly spiral. But Battousai was ready. He lifted the man who attacked him earlier, the one with the broken arm, and used him as a shield. He heard the spike slice into the man's chest cavity, dropped him, and hurtled toward the man with the chain. Battousai hit the man, hard, only once in the front of the neck, his right hand flattened and straight like a dagger. He felt when his hand had dug into the man's throat, feeling the warm blood rush out.  
  
Battousai wiped his hand on the man's shirt, smearing it with the man's own blood. The man slumped to the ground and bled slowly. Battousai looked up to the other seven remaining men, only three had swords out and ready. Battousai grinned at them. "Would the rest of you like to attack me now?" he asked quietly, forming an early strategic plan.  
  
Three of the men slowly backed away. Battousai laughed at them as he turned to the remaining four. "How about any of you?" he asked.  
  
All four of the men jumped at Battousai, all coming in different directions. Battousai sidestepped one, then another, then yet another. He grabbed the first man's neck, broke it, and threw him into another attacker, who fell and was impaled by his partner's blade. Battousai then turned to the two second and third attackers, grabbed one of them by the nape of the neck, grabbed the man's blade and rammed him into a column, pinning him three feet above the ground, his sword through his stomach. The man cried out in pain and tried to remove the blade from his stomach.  
  
The last man Battousai had to deal with charged Battousai at full speed, his sword drawn out and to the right. The man swung the blade upwards and diagonally to the left, hoping to cut Battousai's neck. Battousai, however, leaned back, dodging the blade, then grabbed the man's shoulders and flipped over him. Battousai used his own inertia to flip the man back over his back and towards the wall. Battousai then grabbed the man's throat and broke the spine.  
  
He dropped the man onto the floor and looked around. What remained of twelve men was three cowards, running away with their tails between their legs, eight dead men, lying on the ground in assorted positions, and one survivor who fought, his feet dangling three feet above the ground. Battousai broke into cold laughter as he walked over to where the surviving man hung, and pulled the blade out of the man's chest. The man slumped down the column and landed in a bloody heap. Battousai killed the man, his red eyes pityless, and then he threw the blade to the side.  
  
Battousai turned to the girl, who was lying on the ground. When she saw that he turned to her, she jumped up and started to run away. Battousai closed his eyes, and said, "Why do you run? I have just saved you from these men. You should be thanking me." then looking up to see that she had stopped and turned to him, her green eyes shining beautifully.  
  
"You are right, sir. Where have my manners gone? I do thank you for saving me. I guess you really do have a good side to you." she said  
  
Battousai scoffed. "Believe it if you wish," said he, "but I didn't fight those men for you. I only fought them, because it is my duty to destroy all who cross my path."  
  
The girl shook her head. "No, I believe that you really cared for me." she said. "Oh! By the way, My name is Toharu. It's very nice to meet you, Hiroshi." she said, extending a hand to him.  
  
Battousai turned down the handshake. "If you are going to call me anything but Battousai, call me Hiro." he said, as he turned to walk away. Just before he got to the door, he turned to face her. "I believe we will meet again, Miss Toharu." he said, just before he left the dojo.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Battousai walked back into the town of Tokyo, too bored to do anything of interest. He sat near the burnt down dojo he was at earlier, watching everyone that walked by. Only one thing caught his eye, and that was a rather short man, with red hair, and violet eyes. The man also had an "X" shaped scar on his left cheek. He was walking from a market shop, carrying a basket of purchased items. But that was not all the man was carrying. The man was also carrying a sword. It was tied to his left side, about three and a half feet in length, and was dangling carelessly. Battousai noticed that the new government, the Meijii ruling, had outlawed swords to the fullest extent. The man looked at Battousai, aware of his gaze, and threw a quick, warm smile, although one that had a long forgotten cold look to it. The man walked over to Battousai, shifting his bundle of goods to his left side, and looking down at Battousai. "Hello there," said the man warmly. "I don't believe that we have met. You don't look familiar, please, tell me who you are. You look like the type to be a good swordsman."  
  
Battousai looked up at the man, his red eyes hardened. He put on a slight smile and closed his eyes. "I am no one. I am nothing." he looked up. "And who are you?" he asked the man.  
  
The man smiled. "My name is Kenshin Himura. I am a wanderer from a nearby village, that I am." he said.  
  
Battousai laughed. "Never heard of you." he said in a stony voice. "Well, I must be going..." he said as he stood up and looked away.  
  
The man, Kenshin, looked at Battousai's swords. He seemed interested by them. "Are you a Man-Slayer?" he asked.  
  
Battousai nodded. "I am Shou-ryu Battousai the Man-Slayer." he said, hardening his eyes once more, trying to make Kenshin fear. But Kenshin merely smiled weakly.  
  
"And why are you a Man-Slayer?" he asked in a completely calm voice.  
  
Battousai stared for a second, then he changed the subject. "You seem like you are hiding something from me." he said, looking Kenshin in the eyes.  
  
Kenshin gave a strange smile. "I know that you are a Man-Slayer. Shou-Ryu the Man-Slayer. But, I also know that you are not the Battousai." he said, looking back into Battousai's eyes.  
  
Battousai was startled, but he thought of what to say next quickly. "And how do you know this, Himura?" he asked calmly.  
  
Kenshin's strange smile grew. "I know that you are not the Battousai, because I was the Battousai. Hitokiri Battousai to be exact. It is not something I am proud of, however." 


	2. Chapter 2: The Two Clash

Chapter 2: The Two Clash.  
  
Battousai let out a laugh and looked Kenshin over. "Well then, Mr. Battousai, will you tell me why you are getting groceries from a place such as this, then?" he said, still looking Kenshin over, hardly believing that he was the Battousai.  
  
Kenshin smiled. "I am getting supplies for dinner tonight, for Miss Kaoru, that I am." he said, shifting the weight to his right side.  
  
"Who is Miss Kaoru?" he asked, still acting slightly friendly.  
  
Kenshin smiled. "She is the assistant head of the Kamiya Dojo, that she is. She teaches swordfighting to young people, stating that a sword is a tool used to save people with. It is known as the Kamiya Kasshin Style, that it is." he said, still smiling.  
  
Battousai let out another small laugh. "Why are you around weaklings such as these? I thought you were the Battousai, Hitokiri." he said.  
  
Kenshin laughed again, this time without a smile. "I told you that I was the Battousai. I am no longer like that." he said, his eyes starting to narrow.  
  
All of the sudden, a voice called out from behind Kenshin. "Kenshin! Where are you, Kenshin?" the voice said.  
  
Kenshin turned, and Battousai looked to where Kenshin was looking. A short boy, about ten or twelve, was weaving through the crowd, calling for Kenshin. The boy had short black hair, that was spikey and slightly fuzzy. He wore a yellowish kimono top with green legings.  
  
Kenshin called back, "Yahiko! I'm over here!"  
  
The boy ran over to where the two were, looking at Battousai. He leaned toward Kenshin. "Who's that guy, Kenshin?" he asked in a low voice.  
  
Kenshin looked down. "That is Mr..." he turned to Battousai, slightly smiling. "What did you say your name was again?" he asked Battousai.  
  
Battousai stood, standing taller than Kenshin and the boy, Yahiko. He looked down at them. "If you must call me anything other than Battousai, call me Man-Slayer. Call me nothing else." he said in a cold tone.  
  
Yahiko smiled. "Not another Battousai imitator." he said to Kenshin. "I thought you said there were none of them left." he said again, clearly letting Battousai hear him.  
  
Kenshin looked down at Yahiko. "Be quiet, Yahiko. I fear that this man is no ordinary Man-Slayer, that I do." he said to Yahiko.  
  
Yahiko looked up at Kenshin, his smile growing. "But I bet you could kick his a-" he started to say, but Kenshin put a hand over his mouth to keep him from going on.  
  
"Yahiko, go get Miss Kaoru and leave off for the dojo. I will trail behind, in case this man tries to attack, that I will." he said in a very quiet voice to Yahiko.  
  
Battousai acted as though he had not heard him, and leaned back against a wall. He continued to listen.  
  
"Take these, go find Miss Kaoru, and leave." Kenshin continued to say to Yahiko, handing him the package of food.  
  
Yahiko nodded, took the groceries, and set off, headed in the direction he come from. He disappeared into the crowd after a while.  
  
Kenshin then turned to Battousai. "Well, Mr. Man-Slayer, I hope you find it right in your heart to stop killing, that I do." he said.  
  
Battousai looked down. "I'll think about it, Hitokiri." he said in a bored voice, as if dismissing Kenshin from his company.  
  
Kenshin nodded. "I hope we meet again, Mr. Man-Slayer, that I do." he said with a smile. He bowed slightly and ran off in the direction Yahiko took off in.  
  
Battousai waited for a minute, then followed.  
  
He followed behind Kenshin for some time, seeing two other figures ahead, one short, probably Yahiko, and the other almost as tall as Kenshin. He watched and followed silently, ducking out of sight a few times, Kenshin was checking behind them every so often.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an hour of walking, Battousai had arrived at what seemed to be a large dojo. He knew that this had to be the Kamiya dojo Kenshin was speaking of. Battousai ducked out of sight, near the entrance, but still nowhere to be spotted by anyone. The other person Kenshin was traveling with was a girl, about seventeen, with blueish eyes and long black hair.  
  
When Yahiko disappeared into the dojo, he come out a few moments later with a tall man, with white clothes and brown eyes and hair. The man talked with Kenshin and the girl for a few minutes, and Battousai was sure that Kenshin was talking to them about the Man-Slayer he had met in town.  
  
Battousai laughed to himself as he waited for them to go into the dojo, but only the man, Yahiko, and the girl left. Kenshin stayed outside, looking into the air, as if expecting something.  
  
Battousai shifted slightly where he sat, rustling the leaves a bit, and got a better view. Kenshin was standing tall, his left hand on his sword and his right near the hilt, as if expecting an attack. Battousai recognized this stance from the main part of the Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryuu, a very fast-paced sword technique. The part it was from, Battou-Jutsu, was all based on an extremely fast sword draw, when an enemy charges at you. Battousai also knew that once the swing was performed, the user was slightly off balance, but that was a small price to pay for an attack that only required one swing.  
  
Battousai watched Kenshin hold this stance for some time, until it was quite dark out. Kenshin finally moved. Kenshin removed his hand from his sword, relaxing and walked into the dojo. The door slid shut, and the lights blew out.  
  
Battousai laughed and walked out of his hiding place. He walked over to the door, and knocked on it. At once, it slid open, and Kenshin was standing in the frame.  
  
"I knew that you were out there, that I did. I heard you miles away." Kenshin said with a slight smile. "Why did you follow Kaoru, Yahiko and I to this place?" he questioned Battousai.  
  
Battousai smiled, one with a sinister appearance. "I want to fight you, Hitokiri. I want to kill you." he said, thinking of drawing his sword.  
  
Kenshin laughed, with a slightly cold tone to it. "I'm sorry, Man- Slayer, but I do not fight to kill anymore, that I do not." he said, still laughing slightly.  
  
Battousai's eyes widened. "Am I actually hearing this, Hitokiri?" he said, almost refusing to believe it. "Am I hearing that Hitokiri Battousai, the famous Man-Slayer has gone soft??" he asked again, to see whether it was true.  
  
Kenshin merely nodded. He put a hand on his sword, just to threaten a little. "But, I will defend this land, and anyone on it, that I will. If you wish to taste the ground, please, feel free to attack me." he said, his voice not changing one bit.  
  
Battousai laughed. "As soon as I am done killing you, Hitokiri, I'll burn this dojo down, and kill Kaoru, Yahiko, and that tall man." he said, almost longing to see Kenshin's reaction.  
  
Kenshin's eyes became as cold as ice, and his voice changed. It became colder and more deadly sounding, much like the voice of a true Man- Slayer as he spoke. "You may kill me if you can, that you may. You can burn down this place and demolish the area around it. But I will not let you hurt Miss Kaoru, Sanosuke, or Yahiko. You will not hurt my friends. They are innocent." with those words, he drew his sword.  
  
Only then did Battousai realize that this man was serious about not killing anymore. The blade was a reverse blade sword, with the normally sharp side dull, and the dull side sharpened. Kenshin put the blade in a position of the Hiten Mitsuruugi, one of a lesser part of Mitsuruugi than Battou-Jutsu.  
  
Battousai waited for Kenshin to attack. A cold wind blew leaves over the battle site, and all of the sudden, Battousai felt an agonizing pain in his face. Kenshin was gone, and was now behind him, his sword slightly bloody. Battousai reached up to feel that his nose had been broken, and was bleeding freely.  
  
Kenshin turned to face Battousai, his now amber eyes turning cold and narowing. "Do you wish to continue fighting?" he said in the same cold as ice voice.  
  
Battousai laughed and snapped his nose back into place. He charged at Kenshin at his top speed, one that Kenshin's fighting only just rivaled. In one swift move, Battousai hit Kenshin hard across the neck.  
  
But he felt no solid mater there. Battousai stopped, his feet digging into the ground and he looked around. No traces of Kenshin were to be seen.  
  
Just then, a swishing noise was over Battousai, so he looked up. There, fifteen feet above him, Kenshin was perched in a tree. Kenshin shook his head, and shot towards Battousai, unable to be seen. The dull edge of Kenshin's sword hit Battousai in the left shoulder hard, but Battousai was ready. As soon as he saw Kenshin, he drew one of his own swords. As soon as the dull blade hit his shoulder, he sent the blade at Kenshin's chest.  
  
But Kenshin evaded another attack, his chest only just missing the sword blade. But he didn't completely evade it. The blade sunk into Kenshin's upper right arm, and it began bleeding. Kenshin and Batousai both backed off of their targets, panting and bleeding.  
  
"So, you are better than I thought, Man-Slayer." said Kenshin, breathing heavily.  
  
Battousai laughed. "As are you, Hitokiri. It feels good to have an opponent that actually can hurt me for once." said he with a slight chuckle, he too breathing heavily.  
  
Just then, Battousai felt something hit him in the back of the head. It felt like a tree hit him. He turned around, and the tall man with brown hair was standing there. Battousai laughed at seeing the man there.  
  
The man, Sanosuke, laughed slightly. "That's the first person I've seen take a direct blow to the head, unprepared, even." he said with a slight smile.  
  
Kenshin looked over at the man. "Sano. Please, let us fight." he said, closing his eyes. "I will not be long." he said again, opening his eyes and looking directly at Battousai.  
  
Sanosuke backed off. "Sure, Kenshin. Whatever you say." he said, and turned to leave.  
  
Battousai called out to the man. "As soon as I kill Hitokiri, I'll be after you, Sanosuke."  
  
Sano turned, smiling slightly. "Then I won't worry about it, will I?" he said, smiling even wider. "Look behind you." he said again.  
  
Batousai looked, and he saw Kenshin for a split second, his blade in the sheath. All of the sudden, Kenshin was directly in front of him, preparing the move of the Battou-Jutsu. Battousai saw the blade come out, and he leaned backward as far as he could. He saw something miss by several inches.  
  
Battousai began to laugh when he felt a pain, somewhere in his chest. He looked down, and saw Kenshin's sword, the dull edge, right at his ribs, sunken in a bit. Battousai dropped to the ground, his vision blackening slightly. He looked up at Kenshin. "How...?" he asked, his vision blurring even more.  
  
Kenshin looked down, sheathing his sword. "You were prepared for a single Battou-Jutsu. I used my sheath first, then my sword. A double reverse Battou-Jutsu. I knew you would dodge the first strike, as I have had one more encounter like this before." he said, his voice lightening up slightly.  
  
Battousai clenched his fists from the pain, and managed to speak again. "Damn...you... Hito-"  
  
"Goodnight, Man-Slayer." said Kenshin, as Battousai collapsed from his injuries.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
"Quiet! You three dimwits will wake him!"  
  
"So what? He's a bad guy, Kaoru!"  
  
"That doesn't mean that you can't be nice to him...look at him!"  
  
"Miss Kaoru does have a point, Yahiko."  
  
Battousai stirred, but kept his eyes shut. He wanted to listen to more.  
  
"Is he awake?" Kaoru said softly.  
  
"I don't think so." Battousai heard the voice of Sanosuke say.  
  
"Well, anyway," he heard Kaoru say. "you two really beat him up. Look! He's got four broken ribs, and a broken nose. And the back of his skull is cracked, Sanosuke!" he heard Kaoru say yet again.  
  
Battousai heard some guilty rustling noises, and a scoff. "So what?" Sanosuke said. "The guy tried to kill us." he said again.  
  
"Did you really break his ribs, Kenshin?" said a higher voice, probably Yahiko's.  
  
Kenshin said nothing for a minute, then he said, "While hurting this man may have been a good thing for us, I regret that I did what I had to, that I do"  
  
Battousai sat up and rubbed his head. He looked at Kenshin, then at Sanosuke, then to Yahiko. A voice from his left startled him.  
  
"Goood morning! You sure were beaten up, sir."  
  
Battousai looked to his left, and saw Kaoru sitting on the side of a small bed, the one that he was on.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Kaoru asked.  
  
Battousai climbed out of the bed and cracked his neck. "What's it to you?" he growled, too tired to be even remotely friendly to anyone.  
  
Kaoru grabbed Battousai by the shoulders and heaved him back on the bed. "You should stay seated for a while. You have four broken ribs." she said as she looked into his eyes.  
  
Battousai shrugged and got back up. He looked around. "Where are my swords?" he asked, looking directly at Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin smiled and held up two swords on a strap in an "X" pattern in his right hand, and two others in his left hand, and shook them slightly. "Looking for these?" he asked, still smiling.  
  
Battousai started to walk over to Kenshin, but his chest felt like it was about to explode from pain, and he fell back onto the bed. "Dammit, Hitokiri! Why'd you have to go and break my ribs!?" he shouted at Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin smiled and pointed down. "That was not I. Look." he said, starting to laugh.  
  
Battousai looked down, and saw Yahiko, standing there with his fist out and clenched. It took Battousai a few moments to realize what he had done. "You little brat!" shouted Battousai. "I'm going to kill you!" he said again, as he started to get up.  
  
But Sano and Kenshin both grabed Battousai by the shoulders and pushed him onto the bed.  
  
"Lie still, will you!?" said Kaoru, who had helped Sano and Kenshin. "It's bad enough that I'm actually helping you, but you're struggling, and that makes it worse!" she said.  
  
Battousai laughed. "Ok. I'll stay here for a while. Happy, Kaoru?" he said, closing his eyes.  
  
Kaoru sighed and walked out of the room. Sano and Yahiko followed, but Kenshin stayed where he was.  
  
"Listen, Man-Slayer. I will leave as soon as I am assured that you are staying here." he said. Now, are you going to stay in this room until your wounds heal?" he then asked.  
  
Battousai laughed. "I guess I'm going nowhere then, Hitokiri. Kaoru is going to keep me here for a while, though. I guess I'll just stay around here for a while." he said, looking at Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin smiled warmly, one that expressed friendliness. "Miss Kaoru can be one tough girl sometimes, that she can." he said, scratching the back of his head. "She makes me work here often. But I like doing chores for Miss Kaoru, that I do."  
  
Battousai shook his head. "Whatever, Himura." he said, amazed that he didn't call him Hitokiri. "I think I'll get away at the first chance I get."  
  
Kenshin smiled wider. "I see you have gotten to stop calling me Hitokiri, that I do." he said, grinning slightly.  
  
Battousai gave a weak smile. He was a bit new to being kind to anyone. "Sure. I'll try to stop calling you by your former name, Kenshin." he said.  
  
Kenshin smiled and left the room. Battousai sat by himself for a few minutes, thinking about the people here, before looking around. Next to the door where Kenshin and the others left at, Battousai saw his swords, leaning against the wall.  
  
Battousai stood up and walked over to the swords. His ribs still hurt a bit from where Yahiko had punched him, but he bent down and picked them up. He put the two free swords at his side, and then put the strapped swords on his back. He then sat down near the door and waited for the night to come. As soon as dusk fell, Battousai opened the door and looked around. Outside, he saw Kaoru and Yahiko asleep on the floor. At the far wall, he saw Kenshin, resting against the wall in a sitting position. Sanosuke was nowhere to be see.  
  
Battousai crept out of the room silently, unaware that Kenshin was watching his every move, and he was trying not to make a sound. Yahiko looked up and stared directly at Battousai. "That you, Sano?" he asked Battousai quietly.  
  
Battousai nodded, then when he realized that Yahiko couldn't see properly, he said back, "Yeah, kid. It's me. I just have to get out for a bit. Go back to sleep."  
  
Yahiko yawned. "Whatever." he said sleepily, and rolled over and began snoring again.  
  
Battousai sighed and continued to walk. He slipped past Kenshin, and out into the night. He took a few steps out of the dojo, and headed to the gate. He tried to open the gate silently, but it creaked a little as it swung open. He rushed past the gate, stopping when he saw Sanosuke, standing by a tree, looking directly at him.  
  
"I knew you'd try and escape." Sano said, still looking at Battousai. "It seems like the thing you'd do, doesn't it? Act as a coward after being beaten once by Kenshin." he said again, still looking at Battousai.  
  
Battousai laughed and started walking again. "Sanosuke, I don't want to deal with you. Just leave me be." he said as he continued walking.  
  
Sano moved in front of Battousai, almost as tall as him. "Listen, you. I don't care if you are a Man-Slayer. You gave your word to Kenshin and the others, so-" he said, but Battousai cut him off by grabbing his arm and throwing Sano behind him.  
  
"And listen you! I'm tired of you people. Just get away, and I'll find it right not to kill all of you." he said after tossing Sanosuke away. "And tell Miss Kaoru I said good-bye. And the same for Hitokiri, you hear?" he said as he walked away.  
  
Sano got to his feet and started toward Battousai like he'd stop him. But Battousai turned and looked Sanosuke in the eyes. "You are truly strong indeed, friend. I hope that after I find what I am looking for, we will be able to fight each other. Not to the death, but a friendly fight." he said as he turned once again.  
  
Battousai heard Sanosuke scoff. "Yeah, right. I'll see you later." Sano said, before turning and walking back to the dojo.  
  
Battousai shook his head and headed back towards Tokyo. He was in the mood for killing someone. 


	3. Chapter 3: In Distress

Chapter 3: A Break in Old Habits?  
  
Battousai walked until he saw the lights of Tokyo, illuminating the dark streets ahead. He entered the town from the east, and continued in the town until he arived at his spot, the burnt-down dojo in the middle of town. He jumped to a high rafter and sat there, thinking.  
  
He thought while watching the people in town, only mildly interested. Killing weaklings had lost it's luster after his fight with Kenshin. Even though he wanted to kill people, he couldn't bear another fight without some challenge. He sat up, looking around, for he heard a sound to his left. He turned, and saw a man, about his height, a little shorter perhaps, with a white coat with yellow lining. The man had black hair and strangely cold blue eyes.  
  
The man laughed slightly. "Took you that long to notice me, has it?" he asked trivially, as if he were asking him if he wanted a sword for one hundred yen. The man looked Battousai up and down, as if considering him.  
  
"Who are you?" Batousai asked, making his eyes go cold and narrow.  
  
The man laughed and extended a hand. "I am Aoshi Shinomori, leader of the Oniwaban. I have come to speak with you." he said, still keeping his hand out.  
  
Battousai didn't shake his hand. "Why?" he asked, looking into Aoshi's eyes.  
  
Aoshi laughed. "Because I know what happened to you, friend. You were defeated by the Battousai, Kenshin Himura." he said, keeping his hand out.  
  
Battousai still turned down his hand, but tilted his head to the right. "How did you know that, Shinomori?" he asked, slightly interested.  
  
Aoshi laughed his strange laugh and shook his head. "Oniwaban is a group of ninjas. I have many spies." he said, now retreating his hand. "I have had a few people following you. I even hired a few to kill you, even though they seemed to prove no good."  
  
Battousai looked at the man, shaking his head. "Why?" he asked, closing his eyes.  
  
"Because I wanted to see how good you were. I know how you feel, being defeated by Himura. I suffered the same thing myself." he said.  
  
Battousai opened his eyes and looked directly at Aoshi. "And what do you want with me?" he asked, keeping his eyes on the man and getting ready to kill him.  
  
Aoshi smiled coldly. "We can band together, unite to kill Himura once and for all! We can prove to him that he's only just human." he said, his eyes radiating some kind of evil through them.  
  
Battousai laughed slightly. "And what makes you think that even both of us can kill Kenshin? He's always gonna find a way to beat everything that comes against him." he said, preparing to draw his sword.  
  
Aoshi seemed to sense what Battousai was about to do, and shook his head. "Bad idea, friend." he said, looking Battousai in the eyes.  
  
Battousai used Kenshin's Battou-Jutsu move to have his sword gather speed as it slid from the sheath, ready to kill. Aoshi, sensing that the attack was coming, suddenly disappeared. "Think about it, friend." Battousai heard Aoshi's voice say, before he saw the real man walking away, not even scratched.  
  
Battousai sheathed his sword and sat down, ready to find a target. Most of the people that encountered him, possibly all of them, had been hired to die. Battousai sighed and leaned back, looking up at the stars. He would find a way to beat Kenshin when he found the time.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Battousai woke with a start, wondering what had woken him up. He sat up, looking around, everything wet. He realized that it was raining, and badly. He jumped down from his spot on top of the dojo, looking around for a place to stay. He headed into town, looking around for shelter. He found, just a few yards away from where he had been, an open door, with a fire inside. He entered the place without looking, and turned around.  
  
Suddenly, a sharp pain in his face made him realize that he was not alone. He turned around to see a short boy, with long brown hair that fell over his eyes and onto his chest, with one eye that was golden, and one that was silver. The boy had a small sword, probably wakizashi style, in a sheath at his side. The boy stood about where Kenshin would stand on Battousai, a little over five and a half feet tall.  
  
"Battousai, I have come here on behalf of the Oniwaban. I am Shigeru Himota, from Osaka." he said, drawing the wakizashi.  
  
Battousai shook his head. "Listen, Himota. Leave me, and I will not kill you. Stay here, and I assure you that you will be dead on the floor before you can count to three." he said, his eyes flashing dangerously.  
  
The boy laughed, and started counting. "One..." he said, starting to count.  
  
Battousai drew his sword, and used his speed to propel himself behind the boy, almost seeming to appear there. He hit the boy on the top of the head with the hilt of his sword.  
  
"Two..." the boy said just before he was hit, and was sent down to the ground.  
  
Battousai laughed coldly and stabbed the boy in the middle of the forehead, sending the blade about four inches down.  
  
"Thr-" the boy started to say before the blade hit him.  
  
Battousai threw the boy out of the room, into the streets, and wiped his blade clean. He sheathed it and walked over to the fire, taking off his shirt and feeling the bandages around his chest that were stiffening his broken ribs.  
  
He examined the damage for a minute before lying down next to the fire and looking at the ceiling, closing his eyes wearily and waiting for sleep to come. It didn't. He lay there, his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling for nearly an hour.  
  
He stood, sensing that the rain had stopped, and walked outside. He sat against the wall, leaning his head back against it and thinking to himself. "What makes Kenshin stronger that I am?" he asked himself, still looking up. "How is he stronger than me? Is it just techniques, or am I just weak?" he continued asking himself until he found an answer. "It's because Kenshin fights for the protection for himself and others, not to improve himself." he realized. "That's why I could handle fighting five people at once in Miss Toharu's dojo! I wasn't fighting just to kill someone; I was fighting to protect her!" he said to himself again, as if he were just coming to this idea.  
  
Battousai stood and headed to the outskirts of town, to reach the secluded valley he stayed some time ago. He removed all of his swords and looked up at the sky. "Does this mean that I have to give up killing now?" he asked himself as he was searching the sky. "Do I have to be wanderer like Himura; to only go where the good deeds come up?"  
  
He sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll deal with this problem in the morning." he said to himself before he rolled over and fell asleep.  
  
* * * * * * *  
  
Battousai awoke the next morning, sensing that he was not alone. He sat upright, looking around to find the person he had sensed. There, was a young man about in his twenties, maybe younger. He had short brown hair, with three long bangs, at the back of his head, hung down a few feet to his waist; with blue eyes that seemed to radiate excitement. Battousai looked at him for a minute, before looking for his swords. They were about three feet away from his reach. He leaned over to them and grabbed only one, not taking his eyes off the man.  
  
The man turned when he saw movement, and looked right at Battousai. "So, you're awake." he said. "I was wondering when you were going to wake."  
  
Battousai looked at him, as if expecting a beginning to an attack. But the man only smiled when Battousai was staring at him. "Excuse me. I am Yoroto Mieagi. I, like yourself, am a Man-Slayer." he said, bowing a little from his sitting position.  
  
Battousai shrugged. "Then I guess you've already heard of me, and you want to fight, is that it?" he asked, gripping his sword tighter.  
  
Yoroto shook his head frantically. "No, no, no! I only wanted to examine your style of fighting, and compare it to my own, sir." he said.  
  
Battousai grinned. "The only way you're gonna do that is to fight me." he said as he grabbed his other sword.  
  
The man looked for a way to talk himself out of a fight. "Well, you see, I am only looking for other fighting styles to greater improve my own. I don't fight." he said as he stood up.  
  
Battousai smiled slightly. "Okay then. I didn't want to fight you, anyway. Killing weaklings is getting boring." he said, adding a slight deadly flash to his eyes, just to keep his dignity.  
  
Yoroto backed away about a yard. "Y-you mean...you haven't stopped killing people yet?" he asked, shaking slightly.  
  
Battousai stood and looked down at the man. "Once a Man-Slayer, always a Man-Slayer I say." he said in a dangerous tone.  
  
Yoroto backed off even more, and Battousai laughed. "Never mind..." Battousai said, dropping his swords to the ground.  
  
Yoroto gave a feeble laugh, and sat down. "Well then, I guess I'll stay around you for a while; I really want to see your fighting style..." he said as he sat down.  
  
"Yeah, that's fine." Battousai said wearily. "As long as you don't get in the way."  
  
Yoroto sighed. "So, where are we going to stay?" he inquired Battousai.  
  
Battousai shook his head. "I don't know where we are going to stay. I am going to stay at an acquaintance's dojo; she lives on the far side of town. You may come too, but don't get in the way. There is no 'We' to this. Okay?" he said.  
  
Yoroto nodded and kept quiet. He looked off into the distance slightly, then back at Battousai. "Well then, what should I call you?" he asked, realizing he didn't even know the man.  
  
Battousai laughed coldly. "You shall refer to me as Battousai, nothing more, nothing less. Understand?"  
  
Yoroto nodded again to show that he did, and stood up. "Yes, Battousai." he said.  
  
Battousai smiled to himself as he tried to remember what direction Toharu lived in. He remembered that he had been just outside Tokyo. Battousai turned and headed off in that direction, hearing Yoroto hurrying to keep up with him.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Battousai and Yoroto arrived at Toharu's dojo sometime in mid- afternoon. Battousai turned to Yoroto, adding a hint of a flash to his eyes as he spoke.  
  
"Stay here, ok." he commanded more than asked Yoroto.  
  
Yoroto nodded, and fell still, looking off at the dojo. He shifted a bit before sighing.  
  
Battousai shook his head and walked over to the dojo, walking up to the door and knocking on it slightly. He waited for someone to answer patiently.  
  
The dojo door slid open slowly, but there was no one in the frame. Battousai waited for at least a minute before he looked in. The main room was dark, and it seemed it was empty.  
  
"Hello?" Battousai called into the seemingly empty dojo. "Toharu? Is anyone here?"  
  
Battousai heard movement behind him, and spun around. He saw only darkness; someone had closed the door. He looked into the darkness for a while before he heard soft laughter. Then, someone behind him spoke.  
  
"Well, Battousai...what do we have here?" the voice said in a soft, low tone.  
  
Battousai turned and saw a man, about as tall as himself, wearing expensive looking clothing. The man wore a smile that only people that have accomplished their life goals could wear.  
  
"So...the Battousai will fall to me in this place...what a dreadful death." the man said as his smile grew wider.  
  
Battousai closed his eyes and gave that cocky smile he normally gave. "Well...you'll have to fight me first, to have killed me." he said.  
  
The man laughed in a fruity way, and pulled out a pistol. "Well then, Mr. Battousai...I'll just have to kill you, then." he said as he loaded the gun.  
  
Battousai dropped his smile, opened his bloodred eyes and stared straight at the man. "Well then...you go ahead and try." he said, still looking at the man.  
  
The man pointed the gun right between Battousai's eyes, smiling slightly. "Dodge this." he said as he pulled the trigger.  
  
Battousai knew that the man would fire before he said anything, and moved out of the way, only tilting his head to the right. The bullet skimmed aside his neck, not even grazing it.  
  
Battousai smiled as he moved his head into his normal position. "Missed." he said, as the man pointed his gun and fired again. Battousai yet again moved his head to the right, then left as he avoided three bullets, then easily dodged four more.  
  
The man, whose expression was a mixture of horror and fear, pointed his gun at Battousai and fired the last bullet, only to miss again. Battousai grinned as the man then threw the gun at him.  
  
He caught it easily with his left hand, and threw it back as hard as he could. The gun hit the man in the middle of the head, where it started to bleed.  
  
Battousai smiled slightly as the man reached up to his face, feeling the hole the gun had made. His hand longered on the spot where it was bleeding, before looking at Battousai, his eyes slightly glazed. "What...the..hell are you...Man-Slayer..?" he asked, his eyes blurring slowly.  
  
Battousai put on his cocky grin and drew his sword. He walked up to the man and looked him in the eyes with his and said, "I am Shou-Ryu, the greatest Man-Slayer to cross the country." before hitting the man in the face with the blade.  
  
The man fell to the ground, a vertical gash running down his face, nearly splitting it in half. Battousai cleaned and sheathed his sword, and looked around. He saw no sign of life anywhere in the dojo, so he stepped outside and motioned for Yoroto to come in.  
  
Yoroto nodded and ran over to the door of the dojo. He looked at Battousai, then at the dead man lying on the floor. Skirting around the pool of blood, he examined the dead man, frowning, and looked back up at Battousai.  
  
"Did you...kill him?" he asked slowly, looking Battousai in the eyes.  
  
Battousai nodded slowly, shaking his head up and down. He looked around the inside of the dojo for Toharu. He turned to Yoroto, who was still examining the dead man. "Do you see anyone in there?" he asked Yoroto, who looked up.  
  
Yoroto looked around, then looked back at Battousai, and shook his head. "No, I don't see anyone here." he said quietly.  
  
Battousai looked down and closed his eyes. "I think that this is a bad thing. I'm not sure if I have a good feeling about this." he said as he opened his eyes and looked around again.  
  
Yoroto nodded and looked around as well. He looked down at the dead man again, then back at Battousai. "If you hadn't killed this guy, we might've gotten some answers!" he said as he backed away slowly.  
  
Battousai looked at Yoroto, laughing slightly. "Well...if I hadn't killed him, he probably would have killed you." he said, hardening his eyes to give himself that Man-Slayer look.  
  
Yoroto smiled stupidly and said, "Yes, I suppose you're right."  
  
Battousai looked around. He walked outside and sat down on the steps. Yoroto followed and sat down next to him.  
  
"Well...what do we do now?" Yoroto asked Battousai, who turned to face him.  
  
"We will do nothing, because there is no we. I will leave, I have to get things straightened out. I'll find out where Toharu is, and you will leave me alone, got it?" he said to Yoroto as he turned to look around.  
  
Yoroto nodded and looked away as well.  
  
Suddenly, Battousai saw a strange thing. There was a man, about six feet tall, leaning against a tree, about twenty feet away from where Yoroto and Battousai sat. The man was looking directly at Yoroto and Battousai, his dark eyes reflecting in the sunlight. Battousai stared at the mysterious man for a second, before the man started walking off, heading North.  
  
Battousai nudged Yoroto and followed the man, once again hearing Yoroto following quietly.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
They followed the man until they arrived at a rather large estate, with about twelve stories to it. Yoroto stopped at a tree, about twenty meters out of sight from the house, but Battousai got closer. He only stopped when he was close enough to be spotted by the man he and Yoroto were following.  
  
The man turned, smiling slightly, to face Battousai. "I was afraid you might not have come, Man-Slayer." he said, keeping that smile on his face.  
  
Battousai closed his eyes. "And was that because you were hoping for death, or a fight?" he asked the man, not opening his eyes, but keeping his ears open for any possible sign of attack.  
  
The man replied, "I was hoping more for the latter. The first would be yes if you put a 'my' before death."  
  
Battousai opened his eyes, once a light shade of red, now a deep, bloodred, almost scarlet. He spoke slowly and clearly, in case the man did not understand. "So, if you want to fight, I will be more than happy to give one to you. If you tell me one thing first."  
  
The man gave his strange smile. "You want to know where your dear, dear Miss Toharu is, don't you?" he asked, almost daring Battousai to react.  
  
But Battousai merely smiled and said, "Yes. That is the case. If you tell me now, I promise to only knock you out; I'm quite late in seeing her.  
  
The man smiled. "I will tell you where she is, just follow me." he said, beckoning Battousai and Yoroto into the large estate.  
  
Battousai turned to Yoroto, who had walked up when he saw no sign of an attack. Yoroto merely shrugged and followed the man, so Battousai went along as well.  
  
The man led them into a large room, lined with expensive-looking items and walls coated in what looked like gold. Battousai eyes the walls, facinated, but turned when he saw that the man had stopped. The man's face shone with excitement as he pulled out a cloth and wiped his forehead. "Allow me to introduce myself, gentlemen." said he, as he turned to face Battousai and Yoroto. "I am known as Takashi Yoritomo, ancestor of Minamoto Yoritomo. And this is my partner," he said, as he held out a hand, as if showing something off, to nothing. "Seki."  
  
A tall, strange looking man, probably at his young twenties, stepped out of the shadows, his violet-orange eyes glinting in the light from the sun. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a loud roll of thunder, and it began to rain. The man looked almost exactly like Kenshin. Takashi laughed slightly.  
  
"Now, gentlemen, tell me your names," he held up a hand. "and none of this damn Battousai blather, got it?"  
  
Yoroto looked at Battousai, then nodded. "I am Yoroto Mieagi." he said as he stepped forward.  
  
Battousai also stepped forward. "And I am Hiroshi Miagura." he said.  
  
Takashi grinned awkwardly, and turned around, starting to walk off further into the estate. "Please, follow me." he said, not turning to face them. Seki, Takashi's bodyguard, watched Hiro and Yoroto's every move as they both followed Takashi.  
  
Takashi stopped in a huge room, turning to face Hiro and Yoroto, smiling still. He gave a shrill whistle, and headed up a set of beautifully decorated stairs headed up. He turned when he reached the landing near the top. "Gentlemen," he said, looking from corner to corner of the room. "Meet my beloved friends, of Yoritomo's Diamyo."  
  
As if by call, hundreds of men stepped out of shadows, surrounding Hiro and Yoroto in a half circle. Seki closed and locked the doors behind them, and jumped over Hiro's head and joined his fellows. The Seki and four other men stepped out from the circle. One had malicious black eyes and electric blue hair. Another had spiky black hair with red on the tips; another with flowing red hair. The last, the one in the front, had short brown bangs, five coming down over his eyes, and a red insignia on his kimono top.  
  
They all grinned evilly and each drew a weapon. But then, Takashi called out from the balcony, "Wait, men. Why don't you introduce yourselves to our guests before you kill them, hmm?"  
  
The four men in front each stood dignified. The man in front, with the brown hair, said, "I am Soujiro Yusune, co-captain of Yoritomo's Diamyo." he said proudly before backing up.  
  
The man with the blue hair and black eyes stepped forward. "I am known as Yoshio Arikado, and I am the Hitoyumi." he said, stepping back for the red haired man.  
  
"And I am Akage Yarou, First-class Tenken." said the red-haired one.  
  
The last man, with black and red hair, merely closed his eyes and scoffed. "I am Akira Shinomura. Tenken." he said without looking up.  
  
They all bowed, except for Akira, before raising their arms into the air, preparing the other two hundred men, all armed with rifles, to fire. Soujiro cleared his throat. "FIRE!!!" he shouted, before a tempest of bullets all swarmed at Hiro and Yoroto at once.  
  
Hiro grabbed Yoroto by the throat and flung him behind a sturdy- looking pillar, crouching low just in case. He drew his two swords. "You take care of anyone you can, okay?" he asked Yoroto, who nodded and pulled out a tanto and kodachi.  
  
Hiro flung himself from behind the pillar, moving quickly to one person, unsespecting such of an attack, and slashed mercilessly at his throat. The man fell lifeless to the floor into a pool of blood, but Hiro had moved on to another man, repeating the same manner, slashing at their throat once. He moved from person to person, slashing each of them only once before moving on. He reached about the fiftieth man, before he felt a sharp pain on his right cheek. A bullet grazed him, leaving a long cut, about three inches long, along his jawline.  
  
He clenched his teeth in pain, but moved on to the man who shot him, cut the barrel of the rifle off with one swing, diagonally down with his left sword, before adding a 180 degree spin to it, now slicing the man's throat open with his right, spinning a bit more, and slashing at the man's throat again with his left. He moved on to another man, and another, until only eleven were left.  
  
He moved to one man, who suddenly resorted to fists for fighting, and landed a heavy punch to Hiro's ribs. Hiro almost screamed out in pain, because his previous injury was still not healed. But he showed no relenting, and hit the man behind the head with his right sword, almost decapitating the man.  
  
Three of other the men were slain by Yoroto, who looked utterly tired. He had killed only five or six, but that was a lot for someone who wasn't used to it. Hiro turned to the last seven. He smiled and sheathed his two swords from his waist, and drew two more new ones from his shoulders. He grinned and launched himself onto them. Killing three right off the start by decapitation. He spun on the ground, sliding a bit before charging at the remaining four, cutting one almost in half, slicing right at the backbone. He turned to another, cut his neckbone from behind, then jumped into the air, landing on one and sending the blade through the top of his head. He turned to the other man, who was aiming his rifle right at Hiro's eye. He was just about to pull the trigger, when Yoroto appeared on the man's shoulders, sending his tanto into the man's left eye. Hiro turned away a second before the blade sunk in, but he couldn't block out the man's horrible shrieks. He turned, and saw Yoroto send a katana blade into the man's chest, and rip it back out again.  
They both turned to the other men, Seki, Yoshio, Soujiro, Akira, and Takashi, but they were gone. Hiro turned pale, and collapsed after wiping the blood off his swords. Yoroto rushed over to him, looking down. "What's wrong, Hiro?" he asked quietly, wiping his own blade clean.  
  
Hiro smiled slowly and coughed up a little blood. "Nothing. I just need to see someone. Old injuries reopened." he said. "Just do me a favor, okay?"  
  
Yoroto's eyes shone with excitement. "What?" he asked, ready to hear a huge, adventurous quest.  
  
Hiro smiled. "Get Miss Toharu, while I'm gone, ok?" he asked, standing up shakily.  
  
Yoroto tried to help him up. "Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
"To the Kamiya dojo...that's the only place I can get treatment...no other place will accept me." he said, trying not to cough. He couldn't supress a cough, and he coughed again, sending more blood from his mouth. "I'll be fine, Yoroto. Just rescue Toharu, will you?"  
  
Yoroto turned and ran up the stairs, disappearingout of Hiro's sight. Hiro stood shakily, looking at the ground and keeping his teeth clenched because the pain was so intense. He turned to the door, trying to keep his balance. He was in so much pain, he could barely see, but he decided he had better take it.  
  
He left the estate, heading back to the Kamiya dojo, in hopes of finding Kenshin and Kaoru before he was found by Yoritomo's Diamyo. 


	4. Chapter 4: Rest

Chapter 4: The Brief Resting Period  
  
When Hiro finally arrived at Kaoru's dojo, he saw no signs of life. He had traveled for a day at least, towards the dojo from that estate. He vaulted the gate, heading toward the main room's door, and knocking on it four times. It was early evening, exactly thirty hours after Hiro had started toward the dojo.  
  
He awaited a reply from his knocks, when he heard movement from behind him. He jumped up onto the roof, still clenching his teeth together, because his ribs were killing him. He turned to look who was coming through the gate, when they opened.  
  
Kenshin walked out, talking to Yahiko in a hushed voice, almost a whisper. Hiro couldn't tell what Kenshin was saying, but he looked back at the gate, seeing Kaoru following Kenshin and Yahiko. Hiro watched her for a moment, then turned back to the gate, seeing two more people entering.  
  
One was the tall form of Sanosuke, in his normal looking stature, but behind him was a woman, almost Sano's height, with long black hair that flowed down to her back. He watched the two enter the dojo, before jumping down silently and knocking on the door again.  
  
After he knocked, he moved over to the side of the door, and heard it open. Hiro knew he was out of sight, but he was waiting for Kenshin to come out. He waited for a moment, then,  
  
"Hello? Is anyone there?" the unmistakable voice of Kenshin came out. This was just what Hiro was waiting for. He stepped out from his hiding position, and turned to face Kenshin.  
  
He looked down at Kenshin, trying to speak. He managed to only get a few words out. "May...I come.." but that was all he could get out. Kenshin nodded, almost sensing that Hiro was hurt, and moved out of the way so that Hiro could come in.  
  
Hiro walked slowly into the room, and turned to face Kenshin. Kenshin nodded and said, "Sit down, Hiro. Tell us what happened."  
  
Hiro turned and saw Kaoru, Sano, Yahiko and the pretty lady who had come in earlier, three of whom were staring at Hiro with stony eyes. The woman, however remained emotionless. Hiro sat down on the chair that Kenshin had motioned to, and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.  
  
"Tch...not this guy again? Kenshin! Just rough him up like you did before and send h-" but that was all that Yahiko could say, before Kenshin held out a hand to silence him.  
  
"Yahiko," he said. "let the man speak. I fear that he is very hurt right now, that I do." he said, still looking at Hiro.  
  
Hiro began to speak, and he told them everything that had happened last night, about the Diamyo, how they almost managed to kill him and Yoroto. He continued to talk until he couldn't anymore, and closed his mouth.  
  
Kenshin and Kaoru appeared convinced, but Sano and Yahiko both looked away. "Prove that happened." Yahiko said.  
  
Hiro narrowed his eyes. "You brat... I'll give you proof!" he said as he turned his right cheek to Yahiko. "Look at this! I was shot, kid. By a rifle."  
  
Yahiko scoffed again. "You probably cut yourself with your sword." he said, closing his eyes.  
  
Sano leaned closer, and examined the cut. "I actually don't think he's lyin', kid. This wound was made by a rifle, just look at the pattern. It's almost perfectly straight. No one could do this with their own sword, someone else'd have to do it." he said.  
  
Yahiko shrugged. "Well, what about his ribs? Haven't seen those, have we? He could be lying."  
  
Kenshin looked at Yahiko, who fell silent. "He's not faking it, Yahiko. I can tell he is not." he said.  
  
Yahiko scoffed and walked out of the room. "Whatever..." he said.  
  
Kenshin looked back at Hiro. "Let Miss Megumi see your ribs." he said.  
  
Hiro looked over at the new woman, obviously Megumi, because she stepped forth and eyed Hiro for a moment. Hiro took off his haori, feeling his chest and wincing in pain as he did so. He looked at Kenshin, who nodded.  
  
"Goodnight, Hiro." Kenshin said as he touched Hiro's shoulder.  
  
Hiro felt Kenshin's hand there, and immediately fell unconcious.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
The next morning, Hiro awoke, looking straight into Megumi's eyes. "AGH!!" he yelled, startled slightly.  
  
Megumi gave a laugh, a hearty one for that matter, and smiled down at Hiro. "How're you feeling?" she asked.  
  
Hiro groaned loudly. "Not too good, right now. Where're Kenshin and Kaoru?"  
  
Megumi gave another hearty laugh and set a hand on Hiro's shoulder. "They're alseep right now, sir. It's very early. Go back to sleep..." she said.  
  
Hiro felt her hand on his shoulder. It was comforting. He smiled and went back to sleep, feeling Megumi's hand on his shoulder as he drifted off to sleep once again.  
  
He awoke again, it couldn't have been much later, but he was without Megumi. Hiro sat up and looked around the room he was in, his eyes heavy. He started to get up, but his ribs exploded in protest and pain, and he sat back down.  
  
"Well...this limits my mobility." he said to himself. "I guess I won't be doing anything anytime soon." he said again, rubbing his ribs gingerly.  
  
It was just then that he realized how hungry he was. He stood up, opening the door slowly and looking out. He saw no one in the room ahead of him, so he quietly walked out.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" a voice said.  
  
Hiro spun around and came face to face with Sanosuke. Hiro smiled weakly.  
  
"So? You sneaking off again?" Sano asked.  
  
Hiro shook his head, speaking quietly because it hurt to put any pressure on his ribs. "No, Sanosuke. I was only getting up to get some food. That's all, really." he said, backing away from Sanosuke.  
  
Sanosuke nodded unbelievingly. "Right. So, you want some food?" he then asked.  
  
Hiro only nodded weakly, and was knocked back into the room as Sano shoved a plate of riceballs into his arms. "Eat up." Sano said before closing the door.  
  
Hiro muttered to himself grumpily as he looked down at the pitiful riceballs. He shrugged, as it was the best he had to eat for now. He then ate only three before laying his head against the pillow, trying to get some more sleep.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
It was sunrise, and Hiro hadn't slept the rest of the night. He walked out of the room to see Sano asleep at the door. Apparently, he had stayed there all night to make sure that Hiro didn't wander off again. Hiro laughed silently and went on, seeing Yahiko mumbling in his sleep, turning slightly as well.  
  
He shook his head and walked back into his room and waited for the others to rise. He waited for a while until Megumi and Kaoru both walked into the room. Kaoru sat at Hiro's side, and Megumi stood behind her.  
  
"How are you today, Hiro?" Kaoru asked, considerably warmer than she had been yesterday.  
  
Hiro smiled wearily and shook his head. "Not too bad, actually, Kaoru." he said as he started to get up.  
  
Kaoru put out a hand to stop him. "No...I don't think we're going to start this again. You are going to stay in this bed until you recover." she said, forcing him back down.  
  
Hiro allowed himself to lay back down, but he tried to protest. "But Kaoru...I'll get out of my fighting shape if I have to stay here all day for however many weeks it takes to heal. I'm quite a fast healer." he said.  
  
Megumi laughed and shook her head. "I'm afraid you won't be doing anything strenuous for a while now, Mr. Hiro." she said, setting a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "Now, stay down, Sir Ken will be in in a moment." with that, she left the room.  
  
Hiro grumbled as Megumi and Kaoru left the room and closed the door. He looked up at the wooden ceiling before hearing a gentle knock on the door. Kenshin opened the door and walked in anyway. "Good morning, Hiro- san. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, a smile in place.  
  
Hiro shook his head. "I've been better, but I've also been worse. Why is everyone asking me that question, eh?"  
  
Kenshin smiled. "It's because everyone is worried about you. You seemed very hurt last night." he said as he walked over to Hiro.  
  
Hiro got out of bed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I guess I'm a bit hungry, Kenshin. Any chance of some food?" he asked, turning to face Kenshin.  
  
Kenshin turned to leave. "I'll bring you some food in a while, that I shall. Please, get comfortable while I get it." he said before leaving the room.  
  
Hiro stood up and put on his yukuta. He stretched, but winced in pain as he did so. He then started walking to the door. As soon as he reached it, it slid open. Kenshin was standing there.  
  
Kenshin stared at Hiro for a few seconds before smiling awkwardly and setting a plate down. "I believe I told you to stay seated while I got you food. What are you doing up?"  
  
Hiro scratched his head. "Well, Ken-sama...I was only trying to hasten my recovery. The sooner my wounds heal, the sooner I'll be out of Kaoru's way." he said as he backed up to the bed.  
  
Kenshin picked the plate up again and set it back down. It contained a single fish, and some rice. "Enjoy!" Kenshin said as he left the room.  
  
Hiro looked down at the food, and tasted the fish. It had been a while since he had meat, and the light, juicy fish tasted quite good. When he finished that, he turned to the rice and tasted it. He immediately spat it back out again.  
  
"Yuck...who made this rice?" he asked himself, when the answer walked right into the room. Kaoru had another plate of rice in her hands.  
  
"Well, Mr. Hiro. I thought you might want some more rice than Kenshin gave you, am I right?" she asked kindly as she set the platter on the edge of the bed.  
  
Hiro quickly scarfed down the rest of the rice, trying not to let it come back up again, and smiled slightly. "No thanks, Kaoru. I'm quite full for now." he said. hoping to mask his obvious disgust with the grin.  
  
Kaoru smiled and turned to leave. "If you want any more later, it's right there." she said before closing the door behind her.  
  
Hiro stared down at the plate before standing up again, and picking it up. He looked at how much rice was piled up on it. Hiro started towards the door, opening it quietly as he stepped outside into the sunlight.  
  
When he got outside, he immediately saw three people to his left. Kenshin was sitting down, and two young girls were playing around him. Hiro shook his head, and turned to the right. He saw Kaoru and Yahiko training, and Sano was just lazing around like normal.  
  
Hiro took one more step, to see if he could find Megumi, but Kenshin looked up at the second Hiro had taken a step.  
  
"It's not very surprising to see you here, you know. I figured that we couldn't keep you cramped in that small room for long." he said as he turned back to the little girls.  
  
Hiro walked over to Kenshin and shoved the plate of rice into his arms. "Here. I can't eat anymore of it." he said.  
  
Kenshin stood and looked down at the girls, then back to Hiro. "Hiro- san, would you mind watching Ayame and Suzume for a moment? I have a few chores to do still."  
  
Hiro shrugged. "I'm not good with children, Kenshin. You should know that just by what I was." he said as he stared at the girls, who stared back up at Hiro.  
  
Kenshin smiled. "Well then, I guess I'll just get Sano to, then." He turned to the girls. "Ayame, Suzume, I'd like you to meet Mr. Hiro. He will be staying here at the dojo for a while, that he will."  
  
The girls smiled up at Hiro as Kenshin said this. Hiro reluctantly smiled back and turned to watch Kaoru training Yahiko.  
  
Sano ambled over, bushing past Hiro. Kenshin walked over to Hiro and said, "He's just got to get used to it, that's all, Hiro."  
  
Hiro shrugged and kept his eyes fixed on Yahiko and Kaoru. He knew every move to the Kamiya Kasshien Stlye, as he knew just about every fighting style there was to know. He saw one flaw in what Kaoru was teaching, and walked up.  
  
"Ehm, Miss Kaoru? Yahiko?" he said meekly.  
  
Yahiko looked up and closed his eyes, looking away. "Ohh. It's just you. What do you want??"  
  
"Well, Kaoru...I was just telling you a flaw in what you just showed Yahiko." he said as he took a step backwards, waiting for Yahiko's wrath.  
  
Instead, Yahiko looked interested. "You know the Kamiya Kasshien?" he asked as he stared at Hiro.  
  
Hiro merely nodded and looked at Kaoru. "I suppose you are wondering how I know the technique as well?"  
  
Kaoru rolled her eyes, and leaned on her sword. "What was the mistake, Hiro?" she asked.  
  
Hiro pulled out one of his swords. "Yahiko, can you get in the stance you were just learning? Just start from your third swordstroke, and I'll tell you when to stop." he said.  
  
Yahiko started with his moves, until Hiro told him to freeze. Yahiko immediately stopped in the pose he was in.  
  
Hiro took the tip of his sword and pointed to an open spot at Yahiko's shoulder. "There." he said. "If you were fighting someone that was either very fast, or very well-adapted to the Kamiya Kasshien, you would be easily hit. To fix this, just bring your right hand down, and your left hand up."  
  
Yahiko did as he was told, and the open spot was covered. Hiro nodded and sheathed his sword. "Well, I guess you and Kaoru can go on about your training now, Yahiko." he said as he turned to walk back to his spot he was at earlier.  
  
Kaoru nodded, but Yahiko moved in front of Hiro. "Hey, I have a question." he said as Hiro stopped. "Can you teach me to swordfight?" he asked. Kaoru looked murderous.  
  
Hiro shook his head. "No, no. That is for your teacher. Kaoru makes a wonderful teacher, I can tell. She is very good, and you should listen to her." he said, trying not to get Kaoru angry with him.  
  
Yahiko looked down. "Yeah, that's what Kenshin said."  
  
Hiro put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Learn from Miss Kaoru until you are old enough. Then I will consider teaching you." he said as he walked back to the wall. Yahiko and Kaoru resumed their excercises.  
  
Hiro looked around, and saw Kenshin walking out of the dojo. He walked up to Kaoru, and they talked for some time before Kenshin headed over to the gate, where Hiro sat. Hiro looked up at Kenshin, and said, "Kenshin, what's for dinner, huh?"  
  
"Well, I must go to town to buy some supplies. Tofu, to be exact." he said.  
  
Hiro stood up. "If you would rather stay here, I could go to town, instead. I need some time to get out, anyway."  
  
Kenshin frowned slightly, but agreed. "Okay, but try not to draw too much attention to yourself. Leave three of your swords here."  
  
Hiro nodded, took a list from Kenshin, and removed all but one of his swords and opened the gate. He headed off towards town.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
When Hiro arrived in town, it seemed that he attracted the stares from almost everyone. He trodded through the center of town, listening to various conversations, until one caught his ear. There was a man, holding a sack of groceries, talking to a man who ran the food kiosk. The man who had the groceries spoke in a low voice. "Hey, you know that pirate group? The Kairyu? The one that's been attacking ships that carry goods out across the sea?" he asked the vender.  
  
Hiro leaned in closer, trying to catch every word.  
  
"Yes? What about them?" the curious kiosk owner asked.  
  
"Well, I hear that their captain, Shura, is some kind of demon. He is said to kill everyone that tries to stop him and his crew." the man said.  
  
Hiro shook his head and continued walking, keeping the pirate captain and the crew on his mind until he reached another food kiosk. Hiro got what he was sent for, and turned to leave. As he was going, he saw a few people pushing around a young girl. He was just about to go back to his business until he saw that one of them had a kodachi.  
  
Hiro ran up to the closest man and tapped him on the shoulder. The man merely said, "We're busy. Go away."  
  
Hiro then grabbed the man by the neck and flung him backwards, and into a wall. "You men, what are you doing to this girl?" he asked calmly.  
  
The other men turned to Hiro, and the one with the kodachi stepped forward to Hiro, waving it threateningly. "What are you going to do, eh? Call the police?" he taunted.  
  
In an instant, Hiro had taken the kodachi from the man and held it out toward the man's throat. "Would you like to die first, or shall I kill your friends with my bare hands?" he asked.  
  
The men took off, all except for one. The man cracked his knuckles. "I don't care who you are. If you get into my business, I'm gonna k-" but that was all he could say. Hiro grabbed him by the neck and threw him bodily across the street, into the man he had previously thrown. Both were in a heap.  
  
"Now, if you'd like to further attack me, go ahead." he said. "I'm waiting."  
  
The men staggered to their feet and took off.  
  
Hiro turned to the girl, who was about twelve. "Are you all right?" he asked kindly.  
  
The girl merely nodded, bowed deeply to Hiro and thanked him, and took off running. Hiro smiled to himself and set off toward the dojo, keeping the tofu under his arm the whole time.  
  
* * * * * * * * * *  
  
Hiro arrived at the dojo in the late evening, to a hungry Sanosuke. As soon as Sano spotted Hiro, he ran up to him. "What d'ya think you're doin, comin' back so late, huh?" he half yelled. "Get that food to the kitchen before I have to hurt you!"  
  
Hiro gave an awkward grin and ran into the dojo's kitchen. He handed Kenshin the food and strolled out. He came face to face with Yahiko. "What took you so long?" the boy asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
  
Hiro gave a short nervous laugh, and explained about the men pushing the girl around. When he was finished, Yahiko appeared to have accepted it as truth.  
  
Hiro ran back outside, stopping at a tree and sitting against it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It felt good to have a place to live for once. Even though he was still unsure whether he would be staying long, he smiled to himself and waited for dinner to be ready.  
  
* * * * * *  
  
"Dinner's ready! Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko, Hiro! Come and eat!!"  
  
Hiro heard Kaoru call out from the dojo's front room. Hiro stood up, from his sitting position at a tree outside. He stretched and headed up to the dojo. As he walked, he saw the other occupants he would be eating with later. Kenshin smiled and waved at him, but Yahiko and Sano didn't make any notion to greet him. Hiro really didn't care, either way was fine with him.  
  
He arrived at the dojo kitchen, almost expecting a great meal. Instead, he found another Kaoru meal. Hiro stared at the meal disdainfully before he sat down at the table and ate with the rest. He tried as hard as he could to eat it and talk at the same time. Kenshin was striking up small conversations every now and then, but Hiro didn't try too hard to talk.  
  
He finally spoke to Kenshin near the end of the meal, when Sano and Yahiko were finished.  
  
"Hey, Kenshin. How do you manage to eat this stuff?" He asked, trying to keep his voice down so as to not let Kaoru overhear them.  
Kenshin smiled slightly and thought it over, almost ignoring Kaoru's furious growling noise. "Well.it sure has gotten a lot better than when I first met her, that it has. At least you don't need to force it down anymore." He said cheerfully.  
  
Kaoru looked slightly happier at Kenshin's statement, but she kept shooting dark glares across the table at Hiro.  
  
At long last, Hiro finished his meal, and left Kenshin and Kaoru to their private meal together. He walked out into the courtyard, and sat down against a tree. The cool night air ruffled the loose corners of his haori, and also his hair. He looked up to the stars, looking at all the constellations before he had fallen into a deep sleep, his shoulders easing, and his back sliding down the tree. 


	5. DisclaimerAN

Disclaimer/ Author's note:  
  
Just for the likings of you liberal asses out there, here's my nice little disclaimer.thingy.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Zach-mun does not own Rurouni Kenshin in any way, shape or form. So go home. You can't sue me. ::sticks out tongue:: Nyah!  
  
Author's note: This fanfic is based solely upon my liking. Though it does follow the same *general * plot as the anime, I added in a few things as I felt necessary. Now, onto more pressing matters, this book from this point on, may (I said may, dammit, not will) contain strong adult material. I will have a warning if this is the case. And, this fic will have two other parts. It will have a sequel, (From after Kenshin's fight with Saitou Hajime), to the final battle with Shishio Makoto. After I make the sequel, I will make the prequel, which is based more upon Hiro, not Kenshin, though it does have a brief fight scene between the two Manslayers. The prequel will probably have adult material, violence, and/or lemons. (To make lemonade with. ^_^) All three of them will be placed in the RK section of Fanfiction.net. Now that I've got those things straight, I just want to say one more thing. I am currently working on a Soujirou fic, and will not be getting enough time to work on this particular fanfic. The Soujirou fic will be short, so don't worry, I'll be getting back to the age of the two manslayers soon enough. ^_^ Enjoy the rest of the book!!  
  
-Shukuchi-kun 


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